Mykola Pekh was born in Lviv and lost his eyesight in the childhood. However it did not stop him from getting a degree in the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (faculty of international relations) and from taking part in exchange programs in the USA and England.

He was actively engaged in the NGO work. In 2006 Mykola and his friend Andrii Maksymovych organized Ukrainian Marathon “Race for Children” and set up the “Institute of Ukrainian Studies” NGO.

In June 2014 Mykola passed away but his ideas and projects are still being implemented by his friends. Even people who did not meet him know about his social activities and join initiatives launched by Mykola.

Mykola surprised me with his kindness, high intellect and moral stability. He was very bright, hard-working and extremely determined. He knew what he wanted and went for it. He always believed in others and inspired them. He was not afraid of changes because he made them. His aim was to fight for equal rights and opportunities for everyone and he did a lot to reach it. Having physical disabilities, he spent his short life achieving more than most of physically healthy people achieve during their long lives. Mykola was also sociable, generous and had a good sense of humor

Mariana Kalyna, PHD in Ukrainian Free University

I saw how he gathered people around himself. Later on, the fact that visually impaired person can achieve something in his/her life was out of question.

Roman Borenko, recruiter

He showed me lots of new opportunities and helped to believe in implementation of my plans. Thanks to this acquaintance, I realized the importance of youth and its influence on the society. Observing him, I understood that everything was much simpler than I had thought before.

Nataliia Naida, teacher

It is hard for me to imagine myself without acquaintance with Mykola and IUS. Mykola believe in people, helped them to find their talents and gave them responsibility which motivated them to do extraordinary things, to surprise themselves, first of all. If I had to choose somebody who influenced my life considerably and helped me to become the person I am, it would be Mykola for sure. Every day he showed us that everything is possible. This not only inspired but urged to act.

"All of the barriers are in our head!” This was one of the first things Mykola told me when we met. All his life was the evidence of what wonders we can do, how far we can go, being open-minded and fearless towards the world. Mykola can become a role model for everyone who lost belief in his/her own power and people around. He planted the grain which grows out more and more every year. I remember that even being visually impaired Mykola saw more than we do

Liubtsia Ivasivka, ecologist

Mykola was a strong-willed personality. I was always impressed by his knowledge in different spheres and his constant wish to do something, write and implement new projects and encourage people to take their initiatives. And also I remember that he was good at computers and I was surprised how he can successfully cope with it, seeing nothing

Nataliia Tarnavchuk-Chuhuyevets, community manager (project GIZ)

He was a marvelous friend, always being aware of what is happening in my life. Really helpful, with his intelligence and conduct he gave as an inspiring example to follow.

Iryna Chupil, internal auditor

As for me, he was an outstandingly lovely person, having so much good inside. That is an example of a person, destroying all the stereotypes with their deeds... He was always so interesting to spend time with!